A Transition Day To San Francisco

Big Oak Flat Road

Annual Pass

I leave the hotel in glorious sunshine with clear blue skies and hot at 87º F / 30º C. It is 11 am. I drive back into Yosemite using an entrance pass I bought that allows one or more trips to multiple parks. Or to give it its proper title – the “America the Beautiful—the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass“. Having regularly paid around $30 to enter a National Park for a day on previous trips, I realised that on this trip I’d be entering four, plus a return to Yosemite. I’m doing this today to get to Big Oak Flat Road which will take me out of the Park via the North entrance. Luckily I found out about the “interagency pass” as it’s also called before the trip. At $80 it makes for a massive saving over paying separately at each Park.

I stop a couple of times on El Portal Road to see some final sights of Yosemite. After the Rangers Station at the Arch Stone (Western) Entrance, a few miles later I turn left onto Hwy 120, Big Oak Flat Road. This is the start of today’s journey to San Francisco. As expected it’s a twisty road at the start as I climb away from the Valley Floor. I’m on my own for most of the drive up, which is good, and it’s a good drive.

Miles up the road there’s a sign saying ‘Summit 6192 feet’. I take this to mean that it’s downhill from here. Gradually the trees lining the road start to thin out, the roadway widens a little and the curves and bends become less pronounced.

A few miles further on I pass through the Park’s northern Big Oak Flat Entrance, saying “goodbye” to Yosemite. Will I ever be back, I think to myself. Who knows.

West to San Francisco

Still descending, towns come and go but one of significance is… Big Oak Flat. Where the road gets its name, obviously. Having said that however, there aren’t that many towns.

Soon after Big Oak Flat there is an outrageous section of Hwy 120 cut into a mountain side with multiple 15 and 20 mph very tight corners and switchbacks, one after another, after another. There isn’t a straight section of road in sight as I descend the mountain. I really cannot go faster than 20 mph, it’s that dangerous.

At the bottom of the mountain, Hwy 120 is joined by Hwy 49, the Golden Chain Highway, which I travelled on in 2016. This road is heading north to Sonora so I never drove on it this far south. A miles up the road, Hwy 49 takes its leave as I veer left, west towards SF.

Up ahead is the town of Oakdale. I make a planned stop here at a Raley’s for a sandwich and also fill up with gas. It is even hotter now – 97º F / 36º C – just before 3 pm. After Oakdale Hwy 120 is mostly a two by two lane highway with little of interest and generally straight as I drive through fruit farming countryside.

Interstate All The Way

At Monteca I get onto I-5 S then split off onto I-205 W. This then becomes I-580 W all the way to the Bay Bridge. There wasn’t any significant option other than Interstates but at least I get to San Francisco quicker.

My drive into SF is OK but on the other side of the Interstate the traffic jams are horrendous. It was hardly moving, cars nose-to-tail, up to 6 lanes at one point just stationary. This was at 3 pm in central California. It started at the I-5 / I-205 junction then all along I-580 to around Castro Valley at the bottom of the Bay, a distance of about 50 miles! Incredible anyone gets anywhere or get any work done.

Crossing the Bay Bridge

I do hit some congestion crossing the Bay Bridge but I’d figured on that as the multi-lane Interstate comes down to three lanes crossing the water. There is no parking at the hotel so I park in the SFMTA Sutter Stockton Garage just up from the Orchard Garden Hotel.

I stayed here before a couple of years ago on part of a non-road trip vacation. My room this time has had a definite upgrade from before. Not that it was bad before. It was well located in the city for my activity tomorrow and last time I found a very good bar directly opposite the hotel. Unlike some hotel rooms on this trip, the room rate was exceptional value for money, especially for downtown SF. I’ve noticed a real uplift in room rates on this trip, unfortunately.

The Irish Bank For Dinner

So later on I walk across the road to The Irish Bank. It turns out to be as good as last time. The friendly and helpful barman chats when he can. No other bar chat but there’s baseball on TV. I eat a Patty Melt for dinner, a hamburger variation with fries. I have Henhouse IPA beer to drink. All very good. I leave around 10.15 pm, do some diary in my room then lights out.

Overall I suppose it was a good day. Nothing ‘exciting’ happened, it was one of those transition days from A to B. The drive out of Yosemite was fun. Once out of Yosemite, Hwy 120 W had variations from boring to fruit farming, and the Interstates were just a fast blast. I-580 however does have some interesting scenery in places.

Coming across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco (or Golden Gate in other years) remains a thrill for a vacationing out-of-town Brit like me. The Irish Bank was also a pleasant evening. Now for a weekend of sport!